Fay Risner

Amish Country Arson Fay Risner

Fall was normally a routine season in Amish Country with harvest taking up much of the Plain farmers time. They put in long hours of hard work, shucking corn and making the last crop of hay. But one fall near Wickenburg, Iowa wasn't normal at all. When Jacob Stolfus's barn burnt down, he saw a rider on horseback leave his cornfield. After Sheriff Dawson investigated, he said the fire was arson. The news spread through the Amish Community, leaving Plain people stunned and in fear. As quickly as they could, the Amish farmers organized a barn raising so life on the Stolfus farm could get back to normal. What the Amish Community didn't realize was that life wasn't going to be normal for weeks. Next Rudy Briskey's corn field burnt, and after that Nurse Hal was attacked in her barn. While she laid unconscious on the barn floor, the arsonist set a hay bale on fire, hoping to kill Hal and destroy the Lapp barn at the same time. When the arsonist hurt Nurse Hal, a valued member of the Amish community, that really tested the faith of the devout Amish pacifists. This inferno of destruction caused a great deal of lost income and worry for the safety of Amish families and neighbors. Why was this happening to the Amish, and what building would go up in flames next? Would the next fire take someone's life?